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Joanne Heraghty Feb 2020
I'm done, take the bag from my back.
Take the coat from my shoulders and let me fall.
All of my insecurities, all of my dreams,
Have lead me here.

Where are you in my coldest hours?
In the moments I stand still.
Broken by the shards of life that blew up in your face,
Not the ones that fell from mine.

I take each step I can, facing forward;
Etching onward, slowly and oblivious.
But you coax me to you,
You bring me back to you.

Letting go of the belief,
Of the intent I stacked up in your favour.
Letting go of it was the hardest thing,
So I couldn't do it. I never did.

Sitting in that booth, face to face:
Colours flickered, the world glitched.
Those shards of me, the broken pieces,
They trembled softly.

Each one lifted by the desire,
Troubled by the change.
I tried to collect them up,
I wanted to, more than anything.

Instead I left them there,
I did not break them further,
And I pulled myself back to reality.
Out of stillness.

And though the shards remain,
They have been smoothed at the edges.
They are not sharp to touch,
But they will never fit again.
16 January 2020

© All Rights Reserved Joanne Heraghty
Joanne Heraghty Jan 2019
Hold on to your dreams, my darling.
I know things have not been as you imagined.
Think of tables overturning,
Steel-topped boots stomping.
Think of feathers flowing in the draught,
The whispers, circulating the halls.
Think of home,
And the answers you found.

Hold on to the joy, my love.
That fell on your shoulders,
Just as your hair, those beautiful curls,
And that red dress,
Flowing to your knees.
Think of that smile and every other that followed.

Hold on to the hope you had, my dear.
You held on for so long already.
Think about the days that are coming,
The sunrises at dawn,
The sunsets at dusk.
Think of the pavements you have yet to set foot upon,
And the eyes you have yet to meet.

Hold on to the person you were, my heart.
The person you now need most.
Think of the fear that shook your breathe,
The frost that froze your toes,
And the tears that fell from those blue, blue eyes.
Think of the promises you swore in secrecy,
Those weighted words,
Those truths.

Hold on to the faith you keep deep down, sweetheart.
It will get you through the darkest hours.
Think of the lights that have been extinguished,
The ashes that have been poured back to the Earth.
Think of the love that you aim up to the sky,
The unrequited warmth you send to the world,
Think about moving forward.
Think about how far you've moved since.

Hold on to the words you heard before,
The ones that still bounce around within.
Think about the essence of their details,
The lips they fell out of,
The way they made you feel.
Think about those words when you're moving,
Build a home for them within,
Visit from time to time.

And hold on to all the reasons why.
Hold on as tight as you can.
Keep them locked up in your fortress,
Away from the world outside.
3 September 2018

Copyright © All Rights Reserved Joanne Heraghty
Joanne Heraghty Mar 2018
Talk to me, in sweet melodies,
In a language my heart will understand.
Sweep me up into arms of strength,
And drop me gently, so I stand.

Take me into your glorious heat,
Introduce a world of painted teal.
Direct me to a path into the light.
Show me something real.

Capture the blue that's taken residence,
And release it back into the distance of the skies.
Hold me under blanketing stars, and the moon.
Promise me, deeply, into my eyes.

And hold on to that promise.
Remain honest, to yourself, and to me.
Then you can leave me safely, unaltered,
And we'll both be free.
13 December 2017
Joanne Heraghty Apr 2017
If, day by day, your smell fades
And the distance between us grows
Larger and larger:
At least then I'll accept you've left me.

And if, with each minute, the sound of your voice
Stops echoing in my ears;
Your ego and it's reflection, pouring upon my world:
At least I will regain the ability to see.

If each moment of our relationship
Slips away, from beauty and truth,
To the lies that I now know:
At least it will be over for real.

And if with each day I stop loving you;
I stop yearning your hands, your arms and shadow,
Syncing with mine, in the light:
And least then I will truly feel.
8-April-2017
Joanne Heraghty Mar 2017
I'm writing to you on the eve of glory
To tell you I had no choice but to let you go.
Your veins were poisoned by the act of savagery,
And you became a person I could never wish to know.

Your emerald eyes were all lit up,
Just like the cigarette that once calmed your stress.
Your hair was tied back by one single clip:
Messy, vintage-like, just as your dress.

I recall the first words you ever spoke to me:
They included, of course, Prince Charming's name.
And since you awoke one morning and stepped into reality,
You just simply have not been the same.

What was it that spiked you?
What broke inside your pure heart?
Was it there all along, just looming in the background?
Or have I been naive from the very start?

I based my dreams on the world that you had.
You were my motive to remain strong:
To hold on hoping that one day I could have it too.
Even a piece of me broke, when you proved yourself wrong.

And days have passed since I last thought of you.
Weeks too, since we've seen eye-to-eye.
Your heart turned cold and your mind went dark..
I just want to know why?

So Lady Cheyenne, if you're reading this, I ask you
To find yourself a mirror, and dare to look through:
Take a look at the person who is staring within the silver,
And I want you to acknowledge that she is not you.
28 February 2017

Copyright © All Rights Reserved Joanne Heraghty
Joanne Heraghty Mar 2017
This time, when I say it,
I want you to know it will not just be for attention.
The world has finally shut its doors,
And I stand outside, alone in the darkness, yearning for affection.

The gatekeepers snarl and snigger each time I get close,
And my mind races, it's roaring above my heart.
Instead of attempting to regain entry, it spits out hatred,
And pulls itself apart..

"I can do this on my own", it speaks out,
"Who needs love, care.... hope?"
"I don't need your pity, your crummy hands to hold me.
I can do this, I don't need anyone .. I can cope!"

And when my minds' voice bounces into the airy silence,
My heart grabs an opportunity to say:
"Hear me instead of these lies that my mind's feeding!
I've never truly wanted to be out here all alone.. I want to go home where loving arms take the darkness away.."
22 - March - 2017

Copyright © All Rights Reserved Joanne Heraghty
Joanne Heraghty Jan 2017
Can I keep you in my pocket,
And bring you around everywhere I go?

I have a wonderful little idea for you and me,
Do you want to know?

We meet eyes across a dark world,
And we cause an explosion of light.

Our bodies shiver, that warming, joyful kind,
And the feeling rushes from our hearts, just like a plight.

Our hands fit together perfectly,
And we kiss like Eskimos in their igloos.

We can build up a small house on a hilltop,
With a glass ceiling, if you choose?

I know how much you love the night sky,
And you know I love it too.

I would lay there with you always,
As the skies turn from blue to black, and black to blue.

On our hilltop, we'd be surrounded by green grass,
And flowers would grow between each blade.

There would be a tall tree overhanging our small house,
And, on hot days, we would sit under it for some shade.

I'd make you laugh just to see that amazing smile,
And your eyes would twinkle brighter than the moon.

You'd pull me closer and let me stand on your toes,
As we both danced to our favourite tune.

You'd whisper words no one has ever told me,
Three words that mean so much more.

And you'd wonder as we get lost in each other's eyes,
If our hearts had once known each other before..

If I keep you in my pocket,
My dreams may one day come true.

You'll meet my eyes across the dark world
And then I can live happily, in the light, with you.
21 January 2017

Copyright © All Rights Reserved Joanne Heraghty
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